{breastfeeding} tantrums and other things i am learning to deal with

so this post is a little more personal than i would like it to be, namely because i really don't like sharing with the world about nursing my baby girl....nobody (especially guys) want to hear about it. i get it.
i don't nurse in public (not that there is anything wrong with that though) and rarely do you catch me talking about it in front of anyone. BUT i am making an exception because i have learned a lot about it in the past few days even though i feel like a seasoned pro after successfully making it to the 1 year mark with my first baby and 9 months and counting with this second baby, i have figuring out their was some tweaking that needed to be done to our meal plan for sweet little kenna.
as i mentioned in my last post, keniston has been a difficult baby. cries all the time, needs to be held, up all night, yadda yadda yadda. she has been to the doctor...i've been on the phone with the nurses for months now, and no one seems to know what is up with this little babe. well i finally figured it out today....i was starving the poor child. i broke down, bought formula and gave it to her. i felt like someone buying something illegal when i went in to walmart at 11 pm last night to purchase it. i didn't want anyone to know i was buying it. sounds silly i know but i have been under the "breast is best" spell for years and although i still totally agree with that i have a revised version...."don't starve your baby is best". It doesn't rhyme but you get where i'm going with it. Seriously though, why did i have no clue she wasn't getting enough milk?!??
since giving her the formula, it's been like having a different baby in our house. she didn't cry AT ALL today and she slept thru the night last night. SUCCESS! Look at this sweet happy baby:

i guess what i am getting at is that i should have been tuned into this a long time ago and i feel awful. parents lead a life of guilt and it stinks but i guess that's just how it's going to be. thankfully i figured it out now and maybe now we can get on track. now if i can just get karlie back on track....
tantrums. i'm not a fan and i don't know how to deal with them. everyone talks about the "terrible twos" but what about the "terrible three and a half"!!!! it's been horrible. like dealing with a teenager. i did come up with a seemingly good idea that works for her though. instead of throwing her in time out or getting a spat on the booty, i am trying to catch her before she gets in trouble. when she starts misbehaving i tell her to get a puzzle and go to the "quiet time spot". she isn't allowed to get up or talk and she has to stay there until i tell her she can get up. think of it like a pre-time out. i didn't think this would work but it totally has.....as long as i am tuned into her behavior and don't let her get to the point of getting herself in trouble.

always on the move!

being a parent is hard. it used to be so easy with just one child. she was pretty well behaved in her early years and we devoted every waking second to entertaining her and making sure her needs were met. now, well....not so much. it's hard with 2 but it seems like it's getting better/easier. she has been a huge help with keniston and i truly mean that. i absolutely hate the days that she is at school because keniston isn't as happy. plus it's nice to say 'hey, get me a diaper. throw this away. where's her paci?"

LOVE that they are making the same face.

she loves kissing her reflection in the stove. so cute!

  so yes, today was a good day in my book. we had a major breakthrough and i feel like i am slowing regaining a little freedom around the house. i even had time to do a project that has been on my list of things to do since we moved in. Here it is:

i've had this frame hanging empty for the past few months. i knew exactly what i wanted to put in it but i hadn't had the time to put into it. overall it took me about 2 hours to do it. i really love how it turned out. one step closer to being done with my bedroom!! i have a wall of frames i will be doing next on the other side of the room. then the west elm diy headboard. and i should be done with projects. then i have to wait until keniston moves outta our room so that i can put a couch and mirror where the pack and play is currently sitting. might i mention she doesn't technically sleep on the pack and play but in it. confusing? let me clarify. she got so used to sleeping in those little hammock like baby sleeper thingys (i have no clue what they are actually called!) and she refuses to sleep in anything else. she's entirely too big for it and it was getting a little dangerous so i put the hammock inside the pack and play so that she could safely sleep in it. i'm pretty sure her legs are going to start hanging off the sides of this silly sleeper but hey, i'm tackling one ordeal at a time. so now that we are sleeping and eating and not crying maybe, just maybe she will transition to the crib. fingers crossed!!!!

{i did it} what i said i wasn't going to do!

ugh....i hate myself for not blogging, like at all.  in my defense we moved right after i started the blog and i had no clue we were going to do that....the right house (for the right price) opened up and we jumped on it. so moving into a new house, even though the house was brand new (practically) and had nothing to be repaired, no problems at all, i still felt the need to redo the whole house. i have a very distinct style and when you mix a photographer/graphic designer/seamstress/mommy in a new place, ideas are bound to come up. ;) that mixed with a very difficult  baby has made it IMPOSSIBLE to blog....until NOW. I thought about trying to catch up from where I left off and I will probably do that but it seemed like to daunting of a task so I'm just going to pick up with life as we know it (don't you love a katherine heigl movie reference!).
so let's see, Keniston is crawling, well scooting. the.exact.same.way.as.karlie.did.  i find it extremely odd and ironic that both of my babies are scooters instead of crawlers. i am convinced it is something genetic. maybe it's the same gene that has made both my babies geniuses. i joke....i can't stand the mommas who are convinced they gave birth to the next Einstein just because their baby is walking at 7 months and can say their abc's by the time they are 15 months.
i'm hoping that she starts sleeping better than she has in the last few months. for the first 4 months of her life she was sleeping thru the night (genius) ;) but then she started waking up crying and hasn't really stopped crying since. nothing seems to be wrong, just likes to cuddle. i can't blame her, i like to cuddle too but what i also like is sleep and when i sleep i don't like to cuddle...just ask my husband. lol
she slept good last night so i am hoping we are coming outta the funk she has been in for the past couple of months.
ok so i am going to post a pic of my bedroom...one project i can check off of my list. it is not even close to being perfect but i really really like how it turned out. i feel alot fancier than i actually am when i'm in our bedroom now. it's amazing what a $20 can of paint can make you feel like. i didn't want to do a tutorial on this because there is one here. my only advice is if you even slightly ocd, do not attempt. i'm really not that bad ocd, but this project flared it up and now i'm stuck in an ocd rut. maybe it's a good thing though because i am cleaning and organizing like a mad woman now. the only project left for my master is the headboard. did you know you can buy fabric by the yard from west elm?!!! i just found this out. i have been checking out and thinking about purchasing their crazy expensive headboard but now for under $50 I am making my own!!! my husband and i made a headboard for karlie last year and realized how easy it is to do so i am going to order the fabric this week and hopefully have it done in the near future....i'm so ready to be done with at least one room in my house.

I am convinced pinterest is going to be the death of me. too many ideas to try, too many ways to get hurt doing them. just yesterday i crushed my wrist with the ladder. i'm talking crushed like worst pain you ever felt in your life/can't even find a cuss word to say because the pain is too bad/call your momma to come to the house because you are convinced your hand is broke/call the doctor/google your symptoms/ice pack and elevate your hand/get outta cooking supper kind of pain. needless to say i won't be hanging the letters s-p-l-a-s-h above the girls tub anytime soon. i'm still thinking that i need an m.r.i. i am pretty sure their is some sort of ligament damage.

anywho, off to the grocery store i go with little kenna in tow. karlie is at school today and it bums me out. it's amazing how much more smoothly things go around the house when she's here. she is such a helper when it comes to the baby. she is such a big girl....how did that happen!??

{ busy, crazy day }

First things first, if this doesn't make you smile please exit my blog now. ;)

this is awful but when people say "oh how cute is she!" instead of saying 'thank you' I say "I know!"
i just can't help myself.
i know the proper response but it never comes out of my mouth because she is the cutest little thing. ever.

today was one of those crazy days. full of extreme highs and low lows.
keniston is in the 90th percentile for weight. She has gained exactly 2 lbs since she was born.
gosh i love a chunky baby and she is well on her way to being one. :)
i decided to take both girls for their check-ups on the same day. at.the.same.time.by.myself.
probably not the best idea but i like to parent with the 'like ripping off a band-aid' approach.
and speaking of band-aids....

karlie got shots today for the first time.
yes she is almost 3.
yes i know she is supposed to have already had them.
i have a strong opinion on vaccines and i'm not going to force my views on everyone else but i will make the best decisions for my kids because at the end of the day i have to live with it.
instead of giving people my point of views on vaccines i simply suggest that all parents read up on it.
then decide for yourself.
i will say that delayed them til they are older is stressful. she has cried and complained all day about her legs hurting.
anyone want to volunteer to take her to get her next set of shots?
it's guarenteed to be ummm, eventful.

see this beautiful quilt?
i'm in love with it.
it was a gift for keniston from mr. jimmy and ms. donna.
and it was immediately used for a quick photoshoot....of course.
i appreciate this probably more than the average girl because i have been attempting to learn to quilt although i haven't finished one yet. or really know what i am doing.
i know how time consuming it is to make one so i really really love it.

{ little bit of this and that }

So I'm a couple days late posting this pic for Father's Day.
Blame it on the baby.
I have at least a good year or so of using the baby as an excuse when I fail to do something on time.
Hey, it's my only reward for all those dirty diapers and 2 a.m. feedings.
Anywho,
Aren't they so sweet!?!
All in coordinating clothes made by me.
Go ahead, roll your eyes.
We are corny like that.
The same kind of corny that lead us to name our kids K names so we would all be the same.
It's so funny when you are a kid and you think "I'm going to be a cool parent that lets my kids stay up late and eat cookies for breakfast and decide if they want to go to school or not.
Se la vie 'cool parent'

Here's sweet little baby K's birth annoucements.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to trek 2 little ones in the post office to put stamps and mail all of these. It's funny how the simplest of tasks require so much foreplanning.

sheez.

I made this today.

Hey....can you smell that?

I think that's the smell of an etsy shop 'a brewing.

I'm in the process of making up a bunch of cute baby headbands and will begin selling soon.

Stay tuned.

{ cute little bag for me...i mean, for the baby }

What's fun about having a new baby? People giving you cute new gadgets and gizmos. Enter Exhibit A.

Thank you Leigha for such a cute gift! I love the print on it!

{ i will be grateful for today, i will be grateful for today.....}

Today was one of those kind of days. I should have known that it would be "one of those kind of days" when I got up at 4:30 a.m. to the STRONG smell of poop. Yep, you heard it right....P.O.O.P. And no, it wasn't coming from the newborn baby.

Our dog, Taufer had gotten sick during the night, really sick. The kind of sick that makes you want to throw your house away and just get a new one because cleaning up the mess is just too much trouble. Luckily, newborn baby that has to feed every 2 hours woke up just in time and I got out of cleaning it by reason of unavailability. And who said breastfeeding is so bad?!? It just got me outta cleaning up the nasty mess the dog made. Instead my tired and grumpy hubby got to do the chore. :)

I don't know that he didn't get the better end of the deal though since I had to take sick dog plus a crazy toddler and a very hungry newborn to the vet 30 minutes away from our house.  Not to mention that sick dog got sick again all over the floor at the vet's office. Luckily, I got out of cleaning that mess too.

Thank.Goodness.

Bless the fella that had to clean up. I just couldn't do that job. I really respect the people who work at vets, hospitals, etc. There has got to be a special place in heaven for the poop cleaning fella.

BUT, I will be grateful for today, even if it has been one for the books. My lovely friend Kristina helped me take care of the kiddos while I dealt with the sick dog. Without her today wouldn't have been possible. Not only did she help me, she did it with a smile, making a crazy situation not so bad.

I'm also grateful that our pooch isn't going to die, at least not today. Karlie loves that dog and I would hate for something to happen to her.

I'm also grateful that BOTH of my babies are asleep right now. Naptime is pure bliss when they are both asleep at the same time. Any mommy of more than one babe knows what I mean.

And I'm grateful that it's almost time for my hubby to be home. 

It's easy to find all the bad stuff that goes wrong with your day and believe me, I usually do but instead I am going to try to be more optimistic. Today could have been a lot worse.

I'm grateful!

{ first post, oh happy day! }

Yay! Finally got my blog semi up and going!

gotta love an early morning fake smile.
i'm proud of her today.
she didn't cry when I dropped her off at preschool! oh happiness!
she has cried everytime I have dropped her off since "baby sister" was born.
seperation issues I'm guessing. BUT maybe, just maybe we are over it and on the upside....stay tuned.
now at this very moment I'm counting down the minutes til I can leave this house and go pick her up.
i absolutely HATE being away from her but like most mommies, i'm trying to do what's best for her so 2 days of preschool a week it is.
what i dread is she will be starting preschool at the elementary school in the fall.
it's still only 2 days a week but it's just the thought of dropping her off at the actual elementary school. the same school my mom dropped me off at. the same school i cried at when my mom would leave. ugh....
silly september babies. with her b-day being on the cusp of the age cut off she is able to go to preschool early. mommy don't like!